Coyotes, Jets, and The Montreal Canadiens

In this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s one series going the distance that Bourne’s Blog hasn’t really discussed yet.

The Phoenix Coyotes vs. The Winnipeg Jets

On the one hand, you’ve got a city with about a kabillion people, but with a kavery few hockey fans.  On the other hand, if you constructed a Venn Diagram of people in Winnipeg, and people who like hockey in Winnipeg, it would literally just look like one circle.  A hockey puck, if you will.

...could it be?

Still, this will NOT be a rip on Phoenix blog.  I live in Phoenix.  I badly want the team to stay.  Let’s just talk about the options a bit.

For gross generalizations, Phoenix is an awesome city, and balmy Winnipeg rarely receieves rave reviews from it’s own residents.  Got me?  It’s ass-cold.  Could you imagine being a player, and being told you have to spend next winter in Winnipeg instead of Scottsdale?  The old guys would just retire, or maybe make the commute from Scottsdale to the ‘Peg for practice everyday.  Just sayin’.

It appears Glendale is kinda hosed.  So wait, we pay for your losses, or don’t have a team here and lose money?  This is AWESOME.  Glendale would have done better with online sports betting than actually having a sports team.  But hey, maybe that’s what they get for negotiating a deal that gave the Coyotes nothing from concessions and no parking revenue in a city you were never guaranteed great gate receipts.  (Another question is, who accepts those terms from a rink that was being built halfway to Canada anyways?  Just how bad was Moyes?)

I’m one of the folks that thinks the team can work here, for a couple reasons: One, this Ice Edge Group has their heads together, if not their wallets.  They’re attentive, and want to be involved in owning/running an NHL team, where some owners  just want to display their ownership like a Mercedes logo on the hood of their car (check my Moyes story in the comments).  And two, because this is the bandwagonniest of bandwagoner towns I’ve ever seen, and I like their roster a lot more now than I ever have (starting with Tippett).

...we all hope not.

The bandwagon remark is meant in with good intentions, and I should mention there are some diehards.  In fact, there’s a hockey community of bloggers and fans I’ve come to know and respect that deserve hockey as much as anyone (which ignores the fact that for every one of those guys here, there’s 20 in Winnipeg, but still, they’re genuine fans that found a passion that may be ripped away from them.  And really, it’s not like the diehards in Winnipeg are at a loss to find hockey to watch, especially with an AHL team in town).

The thing is, it’s time to stop bluffing, Glendale/NHL/Ice Edge/Whoever.  You’re each others only option to save face.  There can be no back-room dealings.  There needs to be a sit-down with Bettman and representatives from Ice Edge and Glendale, and it needs to be discussed quickly and with full public transparency.  You can all see each others cards, fellas.  Glendale, which way do you lose less money?  With or without the team?  Chose that option. 

It’s playoffs, and you just made me waste 500 words on you.  You’re making me angry.

*****

Pittsburgh, Montreal, Game Seven

Hmm, didn’t like my “whites of his eyes” theory, huh Pitt?  Went for the “reds of the posts” instead, I see.

Also a sick goal, by the way.

Now THIS was an exciting game.  And Montreal – whatever it is they’re doing – are doing it.  Damn.

That Cammalleri snapper to start the game was ridiculous, and immediately prompted me to tweet that it’s time we induct him into the “shots you could easily miss in slow-motion” elite, with Semin, Stamkos and Ovy.  Good gravy, he shot that thing from the tops of the circles, unscreened and Fleury was just like…. “I have to get me a Cammalleri jersey to wear when I play out in road hockey.”

I’m still saying Pittsburgh will win, as most of the people out there probably are, but I know this much – I’ll be watching.

*****

Happy Tuesday ya’ll.  Lookin forward to game six Chi/Van tonight!

The Trade Deadline Ends. Thankfully.

Not sure if you caught it yesterday, but David Booth squared up and fought Mike Richards last night, which was the greatest thing in the history of the NHL ever.  I think.  Oh, and he had a goal and three assists.  And he’s on my fantasy hockey team.  I love David Booth.

Puttin' on the foil.

Think Team USA could have used one more goal scorer?  God it sucks that he didn’t get to play for his country… If I were Booth I’d have waited til Richards dropped his gloves, picked my stick back up and tried to crush his hands.  I’m just really proud of the guy for sticking up for himself against a tough character in Richards, that’s old time hockey.  Toe Blake n shit.

*****

Mercifully, that trade deadline is over. The paint has dried.

But in the end, I like the paint colour.  I’m so excited that the Coyotes got Wojtek Wolski.  Living here in Phoenix, who did you want to go see play, who sold tickets?  Jovonovski?

Coyote fans are in for a treat.

I finally have some real insentive to go.  I love that they were so aggressive, I was just completely blindsided by it (seeing that they’re spending the leagues money and all.  But this makes so much sense!  This is what I’ve been saying!  If they want to make it here, they can’t do it without having a team worth watching!).  I’m not so sure if I stand by my prediction of “sell” now that they have five new guys in the lineup working to make a first impression on Tippett.

So yes – I like the moves my “hometown” boys made, trading for the offense I thought they lacked, and that I thought was going to catch up with them.  Even picking up Petteri Nokelainen was a great move, this guy is just waiting to blow up.  The only thing I don’t really get, is trading for Morris and Schneider.

The Phoenix Coyotes are leading the NHL in goals scored by a d-corp.  They’ve been solid defensively, playing in front of a guy they trust.  So what’s the point in bringing in offensive d-men when you’re doing great in that area, when the two guys coming in are both a “little” suspect defensively?  Now your defensive-liability-list is starting to look a little scary (and old).  It’s a good thing Tippett is such a good coach.  ….Plus, anytime you can get Vandermeer out of steady rotation you’ve improved your team, so good for the Coyotes there.

*****

The NHL Network asked the question “who improved more, Washington or Pittsburgh?

Washington added: Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Eric Belanger and Milan Jurcina.

Pittsburgh added: Alex Ponikarovsky and Jordan Leopold.

Wait, I'm on a real team now?

So many people loved Olympic hockey, because you didn’t have to sit through the shifts of tough-humans-who-can-skate-but-not-play-hockey like, oh I dunno, Scott Walker.  Admittedly, I don’t know much about Belanger (step up, Wild fans) or Corvo (step up, that-one-guy-from-Carolina-who-occasionally-defends-his-team-that-we-haven’t-really-heard-from-much-this-year), so I’m not really sure what happenend with Washington, I just know that any team adding Scott Walker is confused about how winning happens.

As for Pittsburgh, they made two golden, golden moves.  For me, last years Stanley Cup win was so incredible, because I thought they did it on the backs of about four or five guys, not a full team.  I figured it was going to be a lot harder for them to repeat than people thought.

With these moves, they picked up depth on D – Leopold is a hell of a player – as well as some size and scoring in PonikathankgodI’moutofToronto.

So early ruling, until we hear from readers – Pittsburgh gets the verdict over Washington…. likel usual.